


A fifty-cent frame

by Em_Jaye



Series: The Long Way Around [4]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Fix-It, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Post-Endgame, Roommates, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 13:09:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19853848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_Jaye/pseuds/Em_Jaye
Summary: Woody Allen once said, 'If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." With that in mind, Darcy had to wonder if there was anyone who could make God laugh quite like Steve Rogers.November 1970: Framing photos





	A fifty-cent frame

She had to frame her photo eventually. After the second corner started to tear, Darcy didn’t want to risk any more damage. She found a little black frame at the thrift shop across from the diner and pressed the photo carefully between the glass and the cardboard backing.

“What’s that?” Steve asked as he came into the living room, pulling on a fresh white t-shirt. He shook back his wet hair and pointed to where she’d just set the photo on the coffee table.

“My parents,” Darcy said with a shrug. “I didn’t want them to get ruined.”

He dropped down onto the couch, smelling like Ivory soap and altogether much better than he had when he’d gotten home from work. “Can I?” he asked, leaning forward to inspect the photo himself. She nodded and he plucked the frame off the table. He smiled at it and glanced up at Darcy. “You look just like your mom.”

She smiled back. “Well, I’m taking that as a compliment, because my mom was a total babe.”

He handed it back, still grinning. “When was that?”

Darcy looked at the photo of her parents—barely in their twenties, smiling at the camera with their heads tilted together, standing beneath the Love statue in Philadelphia. “‘76, I think?” she twisted her lips, trying to remember. “They met at Penn...so this would have been right after they graduated.” She shook her head and set it back on the table. “I don’t even know what made me take it with me,” she admitted.

Steve frowned. “The photo?”

She nodded again. “I grabbed it when I was packing for New Mexico. I should have taken one that had my sister in it too but…” she shrugged. “I don’t know. This one’s always been my favorite—and obviously, I didn’t know I wouldn’t see all of them for three years.” She smiled, more to herself than to Steve and pointed back to the picture. “Anyway, my dad said that this was when he knew she was the one.”

Steve’s smile returned. “He could pinpoint it like that?”

“Apparently. I don’t know what it was, but when he saw me packing this one, he said that was the day he knew.” She reached out to trace their faces again. “He used to say she was his World Series.”

When she glanced back over, Steve looked thoughtful. “Tell me something else about them,” he said.

Surprised Darcy’s mind blanked momentarily. “Uh, my mom’s name is Mindy…she’s crazy brilliant. She’s a doctor—well, a researcher.”

“What does she research?”

“HIV treatment, mostly.” Darcy caught the way Steve’s eyebrows lifted. “Impressive right? And she’s a _huge_ nerd. She _loves_ Lord of the Rings— _loves_ loves. It’s…adorable.”

He laughed. “What about your dad?”

“Aaron Lewis?” she smiled. “He is a civil rights attorney. He’s _obsessed_ with recycling,” Steve snickered as Darcy rolled her eyes. “And he’s _also_ a huge nerd—but his thing is baseball, specifically the Phillies.”

“A doctor _and_ a lawyer?”

“Two doctors, actually,” Darcy corrected. “My sister’s a pediatrician.”

Steve let out a low whistle. “Lots a’ brains in that house.”

“One might say _too_ many if you ever watched us play Catchphrase,” she said pointedly before she smiled again and turned on the couch, tucking her feet beneath her. “Tell me about your family.”

Steve looked surprised before he sat back, further away from her. “There’s…not much to tell,” he admitted. “My dad died before I was born and my mom…” he shrugged. “She passed away when I was eighteen.”

Darcy tilted her head to the side. “What was she like when you were growing up?”

He took a deep breath and let it pass slowly through his lips. “She was…” he shrugged again. “She was worried. She was basically keeping me from dying every minute of my life—and she worked too hard and too much and it made her…” he stopped and thought for a moment as his gaze dropped to the coffee table again. “Tired,” he decided. “But never cold or hard. She could’ve been,” he realized. “But she was always kind and…” he smiled softly. “She had a beautiful laugh.” Darcy was smiling when he looked up again and cleared his throat. “Who are you more like?” he asked. “Your mom or your dad?”

“Oh,” she accepted his shift of focus with ease and scoffed. “Definitely my dad. We’re baseball buddies.”

“Yeah? You’re a Phillies fan, too?”

Darcy nodded enthusiastically. “You know it. And I know, before you say anything, that you’re one of those die-hard Yankees fans, so don’t even get me started. If—God forbid—we’re still here when the season starts again, I anticipate many fights.”

Steve chuckled. “Dodgers, actually. We could call a truce and just both be Giants fans,” he suggested before they both winced and shook their heads. “Yeah,” he laughed. “Never mind. Couldn’t do it.”

“Anyway, my dad would never forgive me,” she went on. “He’s been taking me to games since before I could walk.” Her smile doubled. “And—you probably don’t know this—but the Phillies went through a really long stretch where they sucked.”

“I did know that, actually,” Steve assured her. “I caught up all at once—had to make sure my team was still the best in the world.”

“Uh, well, they aren’t so I don’t know what you were reading,” Darcy answered without missing a beat. “Anyway, my whole life, basically, the Phillies were a total tragedy. I mean, they were so bad they practically had to pay people to go to the games—but it was this really fun thing that my Dad and I used to do. We’d get hotdogs and popcorn and he’d teach me all the rules,” she shrugged. “It was our thing. And _then_ in 2008, the worst thing that could have happened started happening.”

Steve laughed. “They started winning?”

“They started _winning_!” she exclaimed, throwing her head back. “All of a sudden, the tickets are _crazy_ expensive and sold out and there’s all these bandwagon fans infesting all of my favorite places to watch the games, wearing these crop-top Utley jerseys, _lying_ about how they’ve always loved the Phillies and it was just so hurtful,” she sighed and dropped her shoulders. “I mean, I know what that stadium looks like when there’s seventeen people in it and now I can’t even afford the nosebleeds.”

Steve shook his head sympathetically. “Poor Darcy.”

“Well,” she frowned. “I mean, I guess I could afford them _now_.”

“True,” Steve agreed. “We should catch a game when either of our teams play the Giants,” he suggested before he stopped himself. “Not that we’ll still be here by opening day.”

“Right,” Darcy said quickly. “Oh, hey, the diner’s going to be closed for Thanksgiving—Junie asked if we had plans.”

“We don’t have plans,” Steve reminded flatly.

“We will if we go to her and Ray’s for dinner—to which we have been invited. And I need to tell her by tomorrow if we’re coming, so yes or no?”

His mouth opened and closed once before he shrugged. “Uh, sure? I guess.”

“Cool,” Darcy nodded. “Do you like green bean casserole? It’s kind of the only Thanksgiving thing I’m good at.”

He smiled. “Green bean casserole is good,” he assured her.

“Good,” she clapped her hands to her knees and pushed herself up and off the lumpy plaid sofa. “I’m going to take a shower.”

When she came out a little while later, Steve had gone to bed. But he’d placed the photo of Darcy’s parents on the mantle where, she had to admit, it looked quite at home.

**Author's Note:**

> Come play with me on tumblr: @idontgettechnology and join me at ishipitpod.com for weekly podcast on fandom and fanfic by yours truly. 
> 
> *kisses*


End file.
